SUN Thisweek Burnsville and Eagan

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Pain inflicted by bullies endures Sun Thisweek columnist Larry Werner says bullying must be confronted to end its cycle of pain. Page 4A

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All jazzed up in Burnsville The free-admission Art & All That Jazz festival returns to Burnsville’s Nicollet Commons Park Aug. 18 with headliner Randy Brecker. Page 12A

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Burnsville | Eagan August 10, 2012 | Volume 33 | Number 24

Tech support firm to move to Eagan by Jessica Harper

Election is Tuesday by John Gessner

Sun Thisweek

A Boston technology support firm that previously said it would move its world headquarters to Apple Valley now plans to call Eagan home. Stream Global is expected to bring between 340 and 400 jobs to its relocated headquarters and call center at 43,000-square-foot building at 3285 Northwoods Circle. In a July 27 letter to city officials, Vincent Mottola, vice president of Stream Global, said it plans to spend between $1.5 million and $2 million to renovate the building, for which work is expected to begin by Sept. 1. This comes as good news to city officials. “I’m always pleased when any corporation identifies the assets Eagan has and decided to locate and bring jobs here,” said Mayor Mike Maguire. Stream Global, which has a temporary corporate office in Bloomington, is seeking financial assistance from the Department of Employment and Economic Development, but the amount is unknown. Company representatives could not be reached in time for this story. Eagan City Administrator Tom Hedges said the company has indicated it plans to lease an adjacent building, which would provide another 300 to 400 call center jobs. The final plan would likely be confirmed about three months after Northwoods opens. If the company secures the second building, it could spend about

Burnsville city primary loaded with candidates Sun Thisweek

Photo by Jessica Harper

Boston technology support firm Stream Global has said it plans to move its world headquarters and call center to a 49,000-square-foot building at 3285 Northwoods Circle in Eagan. The move is expected to bring between 340 and 400 jobs. $2 million in renovations. In his letter, Mottola describes Stream Global as a provider of sales, customer service and technical support services for Fortune 1000 companies worldwide. The company has 33,000 employees in 49 locations across 21 countries. It currently manages millions of voice, email and chat contacts each year from customers around the globe, he said. Stream Global is one of several companies to relocate to Eagan in recent months. Prime Therapeutics announced in December it plans to add 300 jobs through a $5 million expansion near its Eagan headquarters. Earlier this year, two other companies, Ecolab and Eastcoast document management company Diversified Information Technology announced large expansion plans within Eagan that company representatives say will bring a significant amount of jobs.

These moves have been a welcoming sight for city officials after one of its largest employers, Lockheed Martin, announced plans in 2010 to close its facility in Eagan. In March, Stream Global said it intended to move its headquarters to Apple Valley where the company’s CEO Kathy Marinello resides. But the company abandoned that plan in June when it announced it was unable to find a large enough building to meet its needs. About $2.4 million in forgivable loans had been offered to assist the firm in relocating to Apple Valley. That included a $1 million loan that is still available from the state Department of Employment and Economic Development, according to a Star Tribune report. Jessica Harper is at jessica.harper@ ecm-inc.com or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

Three candidates are running for mayor and eight are running for two City Council seats in the Burnsville primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 14. Incumbent Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, who has been mayor since 1995, is facing Jerry Willenburg and Bill David Ansari. Willenburg ran against Kautz in 2008, losing with 46 percent of the vote in the closest race of Kautz’s career. The open council seats are currently held by Dan Gustafson and Mary Sherry. Sherry is seeking reelection to a second term. Gustafson is retiring after two terms. The other candidates are Suzanne Nguyen, Richard Hoel, Bruce Johnson, James Cammarato, Rochell Ansari, Steve Cherney (a former council member) and Patrick Madden. Mayor and council terms are for four years. The top two vote-getters in the mayor’s race and the top four in the council race will advance to the general election in November. Primary voters can choose only one mayoral candidate and up to two council candidates. More election information and polling places are on the city’s website, www.burnsville.org. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Candidates’ responses to Sun Thisweek Newspaper questionnaires begin on Page 6A of this edition.

Let’s hear it for Hooverball History comes alive with new game at Burnsville High by John Gessner Sun Thisweek

Olympic games inspire athletes Area athletic swimming, gymnastics and other clubs are seeing many new members thanks to the Olympics. Page 14A

Online Follow SunThisweek. com for primary election results and reaction from the candidates. Check out the website for more photos from the Dakota County Fair in Farmington.

After sweating out their Advanced Placement American history tests last spring, students in Carla Staffa’s AP history classes at Burnsville High School were rewarded with more sweat. Staffa’s three AP history classes adjourned to the gym for one day of Hooverball, a medicine-ball game invented by Herbert Hoover’s doctor to melt pounds from and reinvigorate the 31st president of the United States.

The year-end class exercise might have started a craze. Still novices to the game, five BHS students dove into big-league Hooverball Aug. 4, competing in the 25th annual National Hooverball Championship in Hoover’s hometown of West Branch, Iowa. And Staffa is completing the paperwork to launch an official Hooverball club Submitted photo next year at BHS, which Burnsville Hooverballers who competed in the National Hooverball Championships in West she’ll advise. Branch, Iowa, are, from left: Top row — A.J. Hey, Davis Hey and Peter Dudziak. Bottom See Hooverball, 5A row — Christina Sahli, Kylie Jacobsen and Laura Garbe.

Walmart to become a major employer in Burnsville

Eagan residents unite

Store opening set for Oct. 26

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ment could swell to 400 over the holidays. The 350 to 375 jobs Hiring begins would make Walmart Aug. 20 for Walmart, the No. 8 employer in Burnsville’s newest town, based on 2011 major employer. figures from the Min A Walmart store nesota Department of that won City Council Sean Brooks Employment and Ecoapproval in January is scheduled to open Oct. 26 at nomic Development. 12200 River Ridge Blvd., east Brooks said wages will of Interstate 35W in north probably range from $8 to $15 an hour. “It depends on expeBurnsville. A hiring center will open rience,” he said. Aug. 20 at 12245 Nicollet Ave. He and his department S. in Burnsville, said store managers have been getting to know community leaders, manager Sean Brooks. The store will provide 350 including Mayor Elizabeth to 375 jobs, half of them full See Walmart, 10A time, Brooks said. Employby John Gessner

2012 Eagan Funfest ambassador Megan Towle (left) and Sarah Schmidt, fresh food coordinator at the Eagan Resource Center, help guests pick out pumpkin seed packets at the Night to Unite event on Aug. 7 at the Eagan Resource Center.


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